I want to first start by saying I'm not an expert when it comes to knots. In fact the heritage collection brush was my first quality knot. Also, keep in mind 2 of the 3 knots I'm comparing this to I got used so I dont know how broken in they were when I received them. The 3rd knot is a 2band and not silvertip like the others. I'm including it only because it's the only other quality knot I have been able to try. It's also a knot I think a lot of people have used so they can get an idea of the difference. I will do my best. I do not have any measurements other than knot diameter listed by vendor. This is just to give people an idea on how the heritage collection brush might be vs other well known knots. This is also a review by a newbie to quality knots.
First off i want to say i figured the performance of expensive knots couldn't be so much better than the inexpensive silvertip or 2 band knots from China. I will say to people asking if it is worth it to spend the money for a quality knot, YES IT IS.
The heritage SHD HMW 26mm knot in my brush. When I first got it I noticed first off that the hairs were thicker than the cheap knots. I know this is a super high density knot but the difference in amount of hair is night and day different. Easily 3-4 times the amount of hair than the cheap knots. The tips out of the box were softer than I expected but a little more scratchy than the cheap silvertip knots I have. Once I soaked the brush for about 10 minutes I squeezed out the excess water like I would to start lathering my soap. Once I did this I ran the tips across the inside of my wrist and then I could really tell the difference. The tips on the SHD brush feel almost like a gel. The cheap knots feel soft as well but they do not feel like a gel. Being a SHD brush I expected more backbone than the cheap knots and there is. I would say this brush has the backbone that the Stirling 2band brush has. The tips when wet feel very similar with the gel feel that the tips on the TGN SHD 2band has. Dry the tips are a little more scratchy than the TGN knot but every time I use the Heritage brush the tips are getting softer and softer when dry. I would say compared to the Elite manchurian knot the Heritage knot has a bit more backbone but not as soft. The Elite brush was purchased used so I do not know how broken in it is. I can only compare as each knot sits today. I have noticed the Heritage knot did splay out a lot more than the TGN and the Elite knot. So the 26mm knot feels quite a bit bigger than 26mm. I do wish it didn't splay out as much. On a side note if anyone knows a way to help get it more like it was when I first received it and how to keep it from splaying please let me know. Every time I use the brush the tips are getting softer and i expect as it breaks in it will be just as soft as hopefully the Elite knot. It has a decent backbone similar to the TGN 2band. Overall I'm glad I got this knot. I am glad I tried out a quality knot since I now know I will never buy a cheap chinese knot again. If a brush comes with one like my CMON heritage clone I will replace the knot with a quality one. I say quality know because @Graydog Pointed out in a comparison thread the most expensive knot is not always the best knot. Any new members thinking about trying a quality knot I would recommend reading that thread and asking the people who have experience as to which knots are good and which are not worth the price of admission.
I'm sorry I cannot get more technical with the knot. I dont know the dimensions such as loft height glue bumb height and all of that. All i know is it is a 26mm knot and the set depth is what ever Heritage collection set the knot at. Again I am a complete newbie when it comes to quality knots and this comparison is more to give people an idea and for new users to get an idea of why quality knots cost more than the cheap ones. I hope this helps people and feel free to ask any questions or even critique my review. The only way I can get better at comparing and reviewing is to be critiqued so I can learn what should be included and what should be lefted out. Any questions asked about any of the knots I mentioned I will answer to the best of my ability. Thanks for reading and again I am sorry I dont have all the technical details to include.
First off i want to say i figured the performance of expensive knots couldn't be so much better than the inexpensive silvertip or 2 band knots from China. I will say to people asking if it is worth it to spend the money for a quality knot, YES IT IS.
The heritage SHD HMW 26mm knot in my brush. When I first got it I noticed first off that the hairs were thicker than the cheap knots. I know this is a super high density knot but the difference in amount of hair is night and day different. Easily 3-4 times the amount of hair than the cheap knots. The tips out of the box were softer than I expected but a little more scratchy than the cheap silvertip knots I have. Once I soaked the brush for about 10 minutes I squeezed out the excess water like I would to start lathering my soap. Once I did this I ran the tips across the inside of my wrist and then I could really tell the difference. The tips on the SHD brush feel almost like a gel. The cheap knots feel soft as well but they do not feel like a gel. Being a SHD brush I expected more backbone than the cheap knots and there is. I would say this brush has the backbone that the Stirling 2band brush has. The tips when wet feel very similar with the gel feel that the tips on the TGN SHD 2band has. Dry the tips are a little more scratchy than the TGN knot but every time I use the Heritage brush the tips are getting softer and softer when dry. I would say compared to the Elite manchurian knot the Heritage knot has a bit more backbone but not as soft. The Elite brush was purchased used so I do not know how broken in it is. I can only compare as each knot sits today. I have noticed the Heritage knot did splay out a lot more than the TGN and the Elite knot. So the 26mm knot feels quite a bit bigger than 26mm. I do wish it didn't splay out as much. On a side note if anyone knows a way to help get it more like it was when I first received it and how to keep it from splaying please let me know. Every time I use the brush the tips are getting softer and i expect as it breaks in it will be just as soft as hopefully the Elite knot. It has a decent backbone similar to the TGN 2band. Overall I'm glad I got this knot. I am glad I tried out a quality knot since I now know I will never buy a cheap chinese knot again. If a brush comes with one like my CMON heritage clone I will replace the knot with a quality one. I say quality know because @Graydog Pointed out in a comparison thread the most expensive knot is not always the best knot. Any new members thinking about trying a quality knot I would recommend reading that thread and asking the people who have experience as to which knots are good and which are not worth the price of admission.
I'm sorry I cannot get more technical with the knot. I dont know the dimensions such as loft height glue bumb height and all of that. All i know is it is a 26mm knot and the set depth is what ever Heritage collection set the knot at. Again I am a complete newbie when it comes to quality knots and this comparison is more to give people an idea and for new users to get an idea of why quality knots cost more than the cheap ones. I hope this helps people and feel free to ask any questions or even critique my review. The only way I can get better at comparing and reviewing is to be critiqued so I can learn what should be included and what should be lefted out. Any questions asked about any of the knots I mentioned I will answer to the best of my ability. Thanks for reading and again I am sorry I dont have all the technical details to include.